Religion and Theology

A Review of Literature
Islam is one of the major and fastest growing world religions. The name Islam is coined out from Arabic term salam which can be interpreted to mean peace. There are other better interpretations that can be given to it, for example it can also be translated to mean submission Any one who adheres to and practice Islamic faith is known as a Muslim.

Muhammad is believed to be last prophet sent by Allah (God). His calling marked a significant point in the history of Islam. In this paper, I am going to explore the historical origin of Islam and the five pillars to which Muslims all over the world profess their faith. These include prayer, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca, helping the needy and making Islamic recitations shahadah. Also the similarities and differences between Islamic and Christian practices are discussed.

Origin of Islam
Islamic religion is believed to have begun not less than one thousand three hundred years ago at a place now called Saudi Arabia. In accordance to what Muslims believe, around the year 610, in Mecca City, a merchant named Muhammad was meditating in a cave above the city (current Events 2006). In the process of his meditation, a big voice ordered him to speak. Muhammad did not visualize anything. However, he felt as if powerful bands were gripping his body (Anonymous 2006).This shocked him a lot. He remained still and speechless because he was not in a position to tell what the voice wanted him to speak about. He did not just know that this was to be his prophetic calling.

Then within a very short time, Muhammad came back to his senses and comprehended who the voice was and what it really wanted. According to Current Events journal, the voice was that of the archangel Gabriel (Anonymous 2006).

He started a conversion with the angel. He was authorized by the angel to stick to the teachings of the trusted religion which was to be called Islam. These teachings were to be in the only one true God called Allah. This was the great prophetic calling of Muhammad.

Having been surprised by this prophetic appearance, Muhammad got home quickly to share the news with wife. His wife further asked her Christian cousin to investigate what Muhammads encounter was all about. The aged man commented that he must have been chosen by Allah, as had prophets in earlier times, to deliver Gods message (Anonymous, 2006).

He and started meditating, memorizing, and finally writing down the scribes. These were to be the statements from Allah, the supreme God as conveyed through Archangel Gabriel.

From these words written in the scribes, Koran came into being. This is the holy scriptures of Islam. The holy book, Koran, is the revealed word of God (Anonymous, 2006). It is the main source of their belief system and also forms an integral part of their culture. The main teaching in Koran is about one God called Allah who is omnipotent, honest, and just as well as merciful. According to Allah, repentance of sin by everyone is important for the remission of sins and thereafter getting to paradise after life on earth.

Muhammads new belief following his encounter with Allahs messenger, the angel received a lot of opposition while in Mecca. His message was rejected by Meccans. In fact, they persecuted him. As a result, Muhammad fled to Medina, about 250 miles north of Mecca (Beverly 2002-05). The prophet continued to fight his former enemies for some eight troublesome years. In some instances, he won the battles while at some point he suffered serious setbacks. For example, before the end of January the year six hundred and thirty, Muhammad triumphed, took control of Mecca, and destroyed the idols in the kaba (Beverly 2002-05).Obviously, he was gaining much control of Mecca while at Medina. For this reason, Islam found its strong roots in origin and growth. He continued to live in Medina while making treaties with the neighboring Christian communities. He also inaugurated a strong military crusade into Syria (Beverly 2002-05). He made his last journey (pilgrimage) to Mecca by the beginning of 632 in company of his wife, Aisha. While sojourning at Medina, Muhammad had seemingly hostile relationship with the Jewish tribes. Moreover, there is no clear evidence that the Gospels were translated into Arabic during his lifetime (Beverly 2002-05).

Five Pillars of Islam
The five Pillars of Islam form the foundation and basis of Islamic practices and beliefs. They are enshrined in the holy doctrines called Koran. They include the following

Shahadah Confession of faith. There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger (Beverly 2002-05). This confession is very significant to all Muslims because it helps them reinstate and confirm their faith from time to time. This is a show of commitment to Islamic belief and practices. This recitation has to be done by Muslims at least once in their life time although most Muslims do this recitation daily.

Salat This means prayer. All Muslims are to pray five times every day, facing Mecca (Beverly 2002-05). Muslims believe that prayer is the only way to communicate to Allah, the all-powerful God. Through prayer, they seek repentance for sins to be forgiven. Prayer is also an important pillar since it is the only channel to ask for provision from God. The relevance of facing Mecca while praying is historical. It is where the Kaaba stone is kept. Most important is the fact that Islam as a religion traces its origin in Mecca. This is where the calling of Prophet Muhammad took place.

The third pillar of Islam is about helping the needy and those who are less fortunate in the society. They do this through a practice called Zakat. They tithe at least 2.5 percent of their total wealth to the poor and needy (Beverly 2002-05).

The holy month of Ramadan is meant for keeping away from food during the day. This is called fasting. They refer to it as Sawm. Other things that Muslims should avoid during this month are water and sex from sunrise to sunset (Beverly 2002-05).

The last Islamic pillar is Hajj. This is an activity that involves traveling to Mecca for the purpose of prayer and worship (Beverly 2002-05). Rituals on Islamic beliefs and practices are carried out in the Central shrine in this city perceived to be the holiest by Muslims. The pilgrimage is carried out in an organized manner and it involves those Muslims who can afford the expenses incurred during the pilgrimage.
                           
Islamic Pillars Compared to Christian Beliefs and Practices                                                            

The two widespread and large religions of the world are Islam and Christianity. These two religions have many similarities in their belief practices as well as some differences. For instance, the first pillar of Islam about the belief in one God is also agreeable to Christianity. They both profess this faith about one supreme God who created the world and cares about the behavior and beliefs of human beings (Comparison Chart Christianity and Islam2004-2009). Christians, however, believe in trinity that is God is under three persons, God the father, the son and the holy spirit while Muslims only believe in unity, one substance one person (Comparison Chart Christianity and Islam2004-2009). While Christians believe in baptism, taking of the Holy Communion (Eucharist), Muslims go through the Five Pillars of fasting, pilgrimage, prayer, charity, and recitation of faith. Both religions believe in life after death whereby Christians will go to eternal heaven while Muslims will rise to eternal paradise.                                                                                          

In concluding this paper, it can be seen that the origin of Islam would not have been possible without the calling of Muhammad and his subsequent acceptance of Gods commandment as delivered by the archangel Gabriel. Likewise, it is evident that both Christianity and Islam have a common origin judging from the several practices and beliefs they share.